Device for Protecting Arrow Fletchings

ABSTRACT

An apparatus designed to protect the fletchings on arrows while the arrows are placed in a quiver, consisting of two covers made of durable material which may be hinged or attached at one end and lined with foam or a foam-like substance on the interior edges of the covers so as to protect the shafts of the arrows from damage. The covers are then closed around the arrow fletchings, and the entire apparatus serves to protect the fletchings from crushing.

BACKGROUND

Many bow hunters and other archers have experienced the frustration of using a bow quiver to carry their arrows, only to find out that the pressure of other equipment on the quiver or the case in which the bow and bow quiver are placed have damaged the fragile fletchings on the arrows. Such damage can be monetarily significant on higher-end arrows, as a damaged fletching prevents an arrow from flying true, and as they can be costly to replace. Archers would be well-served by a device which could protect the fletchings while the arrows rest in their quiver.

There have been various advances made in fletching protection. Some attempts to protect fletchings are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,955,473 and 5,775,313. However, each of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: they do not cover all the arrows in the quiver at the same time; there is not total enclosure of the arrow fletchings, which still leaves them vulnerable to damage; and they require some time to apply and use with the arrows themselves.

For the foregoing reasons, it has become apparent that a more simple device which encloses all the arrows in a quiver together is necessary in order to protect the investment of an archer's arrows.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the need for a simple device which encloses and protects all arrows' fletchings while resting in a quiver. The apparatus may include two covers which are attached at their bases by a hinge or other connection which allows the covers to be laid open flat on their faces. These covers, which can be solid or have cutouts in them, can be made with any type of material; a durable hard plastic has the advantages of being lightweight and providing structural support to the apparatus. The covers when meeting each other by being connected via their hinge can be connected at their front ends by means of an attachment assembly, which in the present embodiment is a plastic catch, but which could also be made by a hook and eye connection, a snap-type connection, or other various methods of ensuring the covers remain secured.

At their front surfaces where the covers meet and may be attached, a strip of foam may be placed within recesses on each cover, made thick enough to remain within the recess yet allowing the covers to close. These strips of foam admit the shafts of the arrows between them and secure the arrows within the apparatus without scratching or damaging the shafts. When the covers are properly secured over the arrows, the nock ends of the arrows with their fletchings are then protected within the apparatus' two covers, and are rendered safe because of the crush-proof properties of the materials, from which the apparatus is made.

This structure provides an advantage to prior attempts as it is easy to place over arrows already placed in a quiver, and also easy to remove. The crush-proof properties of the apparatus provide peace of mind to the archer, as even locked within a bow case, the apparatus protects the fragile arrow fletchings by virtue of its design. The weight of the case on top of the apparatus, or even the weight of additional items packed on top of the bow case, cannot damage the fletchings because of the structural integrity of the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows the top cover of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the bottom cover of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows the assembled covers of the embodiment, viewed from the perspective of the top cover;

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the foam insert placed between the top and bottom cover of the embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows the assembled unit, viewed from the perspective of the opened apparatus, where both the top and bottom covers remain connected at the hinge; and

FIG. 6 shows the apparatus in typical usage in association with a fully packed bow case, containing a bow, quiver full of arrows, and with the apparatus in position over the arrow fletchings.

DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention can be understood with reference to the above-listed drawings, in addition to the details that follow. FIG. 1 details the top cover 10 of the device, which may be constructed of a sturdy material 60 such as plastic or metal, and may include an open latticework of protective cross strips 15 which may function to allow the user to view the arrow fletchings through open holes 30 in the cover 10. The cover 10 could also be built to be totally enclosing of the arrow fletchings, which would not allow a user to see the fletchings, but would still be functional and protective. The cover 10 may also feature an open space 20 which functions as a receiver for a closure hasp 70 as detailed in FIG. 2. The open space 20 and closure hasp 70 could also be replaced by any other type of closure mechanism, such as a magnetic or other mechanical closure. The open space 20 and closure hasp 70 combination provides the benefit of being easily opened by one hand, as hasp 70 need only be moved towards the back of the cover 10 in order to release the closure and open the device.

The top cover 10 may also feature two slots 40 for receiving hinge pins 80 as detailed in FIG. 2, which allow the top cover 10 to remain fixed to a bottom cover 65 of the device, and yet provide for an opening action at the rear of the device. Top cover 10 may also have an open slot 50 on the front of the device, which serves to admit a foam or foam-like insert 82 as detailed in FIG. 4, which allows the shaft of the arrows placed therein to be secured within the device, yet not be damaged by contact with a harder material, such as the material 60 of which the device may be constructed. Top cover 10 may also contain a channel 51 for the placement of the foam or foam-like insert 82, which will secure the insert 82 within the top cover 10.

A bottom cover 65 of the device, also constructed of the main construction material 60 and as depicted in FIG. 2, may include the same or similar details as top cover 10, such as the open viewing space 30 formed by the latticework of protective cross strips 15 and the open slot 50 for admission of arrow shafts. For example, the bottom cover 65 may also features two hinge pins 80 for fitting into hinge slots 40, and closure hasp 70, as detailed above. Moreover, the bottom cover 65 may also include a channel 51 for the placement of the foam or foam-like insert 82, which will secure the insert 82 within the bottom cover 65.

FIG. 3 depicts the top cover 10 attached to the bottom cover 65 by means of the hinge pins 80 of the bottom cover 65 placed into the hinge slots 40 of the top cover 10, and as viewed from the top-down perspective, looking down on top cover 10. This produces the assembled device 85, and details further the viewing slots 30 created by the open latticework of protective cross strips 15. In addition, the closure formed by the combination of the open space 20 and closure hasp 70 is further detailed. By moving closure hasp 70 towards the rear (hinge-side) of the device 85, the catch on closure hasp 70 may be released and the unit 85 may be able to be opened from the front, pivoting on the hinge assembly formed by the combination of the hinge pins 80 and the hinge slots 40. In this view, the opening 50 for the foam insert 82 is able to be more clearly demonstrated. This opening is detailed in FIG. 4 in close-up view, where the top cover 10 and the bottom cover 65 both have openings 50 for the foam insert 82, which again allows for the arrow shafts of the user to be placed within without suffering damage by scratching the shafts with the construction material 60 of the unit 85.

FIG. 5 depicts the unit 85 laid open at the hinges created by the combination of hinge pins 80 and hinge slots 40. In this view, the top cover 10 is on the left-hand side of the view, and bottom cover 65 is on the right-hand side. This view also details another option of construction: by fitting foam inserts 82 b within the rear edges of top cover 10 and bottom cover 65 (toward the hinges), the nocks of the arrows may be placed overlapping the foam inserts 82 b and thereby locked between the inserts 82 when the unit 85 is closed, thus further stabilizing the arrows, and adding another point of contact for the arrow and the unit 85.

FIG. 6 depicts the unit 85 in usage with a typical archer's outfit, consisting of a quiver 90 of arrows 91. The quiver 90 is laid within a bow case 95 and on top of a bow 94, and the arrows 91 are placed within the unit 85. The nocks 92 of the arrows can be seen protruding from the hinge-end of the present embodiment, and the open viewing areas 30 of the unit allow for visual inspection of the fletchings 93 of the arrows 91. In this way, closure of the bow case 95 will not damage the fletchings 93 of the arrows 91 due to the protective presence of the unit 85 on the arrows 91. This demonstrates the utility of the device 85. The applicant intends to encompass within the above language any structure presently existing or developed in the future that performs the same function of any element of the embodiment.

Various embodiments of the present invention have many advantages, including that the device 85 is able to cover all an archer's arrows 91; the arrow fletchings 93 are completely covered and encased in the device 85; and the device 85 is quick to apply over arrows 91 already in a quiver 90, and can even be put on and removed from arrows 91 with one hand. The invention does not require, however, that all the advantageous features and all the advantages need to be incorporated into every embodiment of the invention.

In some embodiments of the invention, the material 60 used to construct the device 85 may be of a rigid and lightweight plastic material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. This serves to keep the unit 85 light, yet strong enough to avoid being crushed by the weight of an archer's equipment placed on top of a bow case 95. Additionally, in order to be of maximum utility, some embodiments of the invention may be designed with the dimensions of approximately 6 inches across the front or back edge of the unit 85, and 6 inches from the front to the back edge. A depth of at least 3 inches may be desired on the unit 85 when it is assembled in order to ensure that there is room enough for the admittance of the arrow fletchings 93 without crushing the fletchings, while still being slim enough for convenience and functionality. The foam inserts 82 and 82 b may be approximately 0.25 inches high and deep, and of a length close to about 5.5 inches in order to span the entire foam insert channel 81 and to be large enough to protrude a bit from the channels 81 such that the arrow shafts 91 do not come in contact with the actual construction material 60 to prevent scratching. The foam inserts 82 and 82 b may be of a firm, but not rigid, filler material such as that found in a synthetic sponge, and may be glued or otherwise attached into the foam channel 81 to avoid undesired removal.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible and are contemplated by this description. For example, the construction material 60 could be made of any type of material that will lend strength to the unit 85; the view holes 30 in the covers 10 and 65 are optional, and an embodiment may not necessarily be designed to admit the arrow nocks 92 through the rear of the device. Additionally, the invention can be sized differently to accommodate arrows in quivers that hold different numbers of arrows than the embodiment described above. For example, the embodiment described above is of dimensions sufficient to admit arrows in a standard 5-arrow quiver. However, by just modifying the dimensions of the device, the device can then be used in association with quivers of any number of arrows, such as those that hold 8 or 9 arrows, for instance, while still retaining all of the features of the described embodiments.

Further, the hinge assembly in the design could be altered to incorporate different hinge types such as a pin hinge, a hinge integral with the top cover 10 and the bottom cover 65, or a hinge whereby the top cover 10 and the bottom cover 65 could be separated completely for fast and easy removal of the arrows. In other possible embodiments, the top cover 10 and the bottom cover 65 could be secured together with a lanyard, and a hinge could be completely forgone. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein. 

1. A device for protecting the fletchings of arrows in a quiver, comprising: a top cover; a bottom cover; and a pliable insert placed in one of the top cover and the bottom cover, the pliable insert being configured to protect arrows from damage.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the top cover and the bottom cover are connected by a hinge.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the side of the top cover and the bottom cover adjoining the hinge further includes pliable material configured to protect the nock ends of the arrows.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the top cover and bottom cover further feature a closure between the top cover and the bottom cover, the closure configured to secure the top cover and the bottom cover together over the arrows.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the top cover and the bottom cover are made of a crush-proof material.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the top cover and the bottom cover are constructed with an open latticework, configured for viewing arrows between the top cover and the bottom cover.
 7. A device for protecting the fletchings of arrows in a quiver, comprising: a top cover made of a crush-proof material; a bottom cover made of a crush-proof material; a hinge connecting the top cover and the bottom cover; a pliable insert placed in one of the top cover and the bottom cover, the pliable insert being configured to protect arrows from damage; and a closure between the top cover and the bottom cover, the closure configured to secure the top cover and the bottom cover together over the arrows. 